Comparative static tests of Nash bidding theory in second-price common value auctions show that bidders fail to respond in the right direction to more rivals and to public information concerning the value of the item. The former provides a clear indication that bidders fail to appreciate the...

Most of the literature on auctions with endogenous entry assumes that, in equilibrium, the number of entrants is deterministic. We discuss a series of experiments designed to test the alternative hypothesis that, even in equilibrium, the number of entrants is stochastic. This distinction has...